Valve may be insistent that “Half-Life 3” isn’t happening anytime soon, but gamers are surely not going to let this die so easily, and in fact, discussions about the game have been getting more and more active lately, especially since Gabe Newell came out to deny the rumors that the company is gearing up to announce the new game soon. Currently, most gamers seem to be quite disappointed by the announcement, but at the same time, many of them have been taking the opportunity to discuss what the new game could do to make it worth the huge wait.
And “huge” is definitely a good way to describe the period – “Half-Life 2” came out over ten years ago, followed by its episodic sequels that lasted until 2007. Since then, it’s been nearly eight years without a new installment in the series, and gamers have been growing more and more impatient.
What’s even stranger, Valve seemed surprised that gamers are so excited about the game after all this time. That would be a bit difficult to believe, considering the fact that “Half-Life 3” has basically become a meme all over the Internet nowadays, and people love to associate the game with productions that never made it to the market. With that in mind, Valve should obviously know just how much gamers care about the new game, even for a company as closed as Valve.
On the other hand, rumors indicate that Valve are actually not planning on ever releasing the game, as they don’t feel that they will manage to live up to fans’ expectations for it. This would actually be a bit sad if it turns out to be true, as each passing year makes the release less likely in that context. Valve have also had the chance to witness the release of “Duke Nukem Forever”, which ended up crashing spectacularly, something which could further fuel their fears.
Is “Half-Life 3” ever happening? The logical answer would be “no”, and that’s probably how most companies would approach the situation in the end. But this is Valve, a company that has proven time and time again that “ordinary” is not their thing. If anyone is capable of taking ten years to make a game and then ensure that it will be a complete hit when it comes out, it’s exactly Gabe Newell and his team.
In any case, even if the new game isn’t off the table for good, it will probably be a long time before it’s out, considering how many projects Valve are juggling right now, both officially as well as according to rumors from behind the scenes. 2015 should be an interesting year for Valve’s fans in any case.